Martial Arts America: A Western Approach to Eastern Arts

Martial Arts America: A Western Approach To Eastern Arts by Bob Orlando (martial arts expert and founder of the Je-du-to School of Martial Arts, Denver Colorado) is a solid, insightful, "user friendly" presentation of how martial arts are taught in America today ranging from self-defense, to sport, to the different challenges in training male and female students, to what a black belt really means. A superbly presented background book and very highly recommended reading for anyone contemplating a martial arts program, Martial Arts America warns seekers of self-defense about what to search for and what to look out for when seeking a suitable school. If you are contemplating learning the martial arts in a formal program of instruction, begin your search with a careful reading of Bob Orlando's Martial Arts America.

This book is the best book on how to THINK about the martial arts that I have ever read (and I've read quite a few). Orlando takes on the tough subjects that most fear to touch, or worse, come up with weak or illogical arguments to support. This book is full of the history behind various techniques and traditions that fill the martial arts. Kata, tournaments, chambered fists, and chi are a few. In each case he makes an unbiased presentation of the benefits, then systematically explains the drawbacks for the self-defense motivated student.This book should be on every student's list.

This book, cleverly written by Bob Orlando, is an enjoyable read. The book is humorous at times because of his witty style, yet always serious and shedding light on this topic of martial arts. He effectively writes about the differences between the traditional martial arts and the "western" approach, which emphasis on combat effectiveness and sport. The book can also be read by someone who has never studied the arts. He doesn't use a lot of "karate jargon." When he does use an unfamiliar term, he gives a quick definition. He has also mixed photographs and artwork into the book which gives it an extra flavor. The artwork is multifaceted; serioous, humorous, and at times, reverenced. Most topics are discussed: Sport karate, kata, combat fighting, and how to find a good school. Instructors will benefit from this book as well as he speaks about many innovative topics as developed in the western world.

This book is not the best book on my shelf--it would be if it were ever on my shelf, but I loan it out every chance I get.I particularly appreciated Bob's willingness to state the "obvious" (in hindsight) in print without regard to who will take exception. Like the boy in "The Emperor's New Clothes," he has the rare wisdom of being willing to look foolish by asking the obvious, forbidden, necessary questions. The discussion of punching and blocking in Karate and similar arts is only the most obvious example.Instead of telling you what is in the book, let me tell what it has done for me as someone of no great skill who has trained in several arts and been satisfied with none of them. (A lot of us, unfortunately, fall in this category.) More than anything else I have ever seen or read, this book helped me to:(1) Analyze and understand what I do and do not want from a martial art, and who might offer it. Anyone who has studied several arts here and there, as I have, knows the frustration of not being able to be an "intelligent consumer." This alone is worth far more than the cost of the book (probably less than half the cost of a month of lessons anywhere). I agree with another reviewer; if you are thinking of taking lessons but don't know exactly what you want already, BUY THIS BOOK NOW. It takes time and experience to discover the right art and teacher. It is a great help to borrow some of Bob's time and experience before you start spending your own.(2) Maintain motivation to train. You can't wait to train until you find the ideal art. I find it encouraging to know that even if my best local opportunity to train is not what I would prefer, there are other things out there if I have patience. Perspective is a valuable thing, particularly if it helps you take advantage of the opportunities you have rather than waiting for ones that you don't.(3) Appreciate arts that are not necessarily for me. Once you know what you want personally, you can stop trying to make other arts something they are not but instead enjoy what they are. As well as being a generally humane attitude, this also helps with point (2). And, after all, I may discover I like them more than I thought.I have minor criticisms, but what they are does not matter. What does matter is that you read it for yourself and find your own. That's ultimately the point of the book; rational inquiry and debate in the best Western tradition. Bob asks "why?" and "can you prove it?" constantly and encourages us to do the same. It is a shame that we need the encouragement so much.

Review of Martial Arts America: A Western Approach to Eastern Arts, by Bob Orlando Published by Frog Limited. Berkeley, California, 1997. Bob Orlando is an experienced martial artist whose book on the Indonesian arts was critically acclaimed in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. This new book is excellent for the thoughtful martial artist whose main goal is to develop the ability to protect themselves. In his introduction, Bob Orlando says his work will "...examine Eastern martial arts training practices and philosophies, consider their origins, and appraise their relevance to the American student." While he states that there are many good reasons to study the martial arts, Orlando is very clear that "this work is intended for the individual whose main interest is...effective self-defense. He hopes to encourage readers to "think critically about every part of what he or she is learning and teaching." Orlando does a great job. While readers may not always agree with him, I think most will at least admit that Orlando's book is very thought provoking. He raises many good questions, examines many issues in depth, uses supporting evidence and examples. He put forth some strong opinions in many cases, but in others, where he is not sure he can make a strong enough case, he does not hesitate to state, in effect, "this is my opinion, but I'm not totally sure that I am right." It can sometimes take a great deal of courage to admit that you don't know something. God knows that there enough (often self-proclaimed) martial arts masters out there who are not exactly bursting at the seams with humility. This book really seems to have been written by someone who is willing to question how things are done, but who does so respectfully, and who does not engage in name calling and large amounts of "my style is best" statements. Among the many topics Orlando discusses are the degree to which martial arts should preserve ancient (and sometimes not so ancient) techniques, why martial arts change over time, the value of tradition, the pros and cons of training barefoot, the value of kata, the role of sport karate (and other arts) in training, women in the martial arts, the role of chi and the spiritual aspects of the martial arts, and a very amusing chapter on teacher motivations, finding a school, and rank. My criticisms of this book are very minor. In discussing the evolution of the sword, he uses a foil as an example of a weapon that evolved for a particular reason. The problem is that the foil was never a real weapon, but was specifically designed to develop skills for sport fencers. If he had substituted "epee," the analogy would have worked perfectly. He does not compare the relative approaches of very stripped down styles meant to be learned relatively quicky (such as Krav Maga and Bando) to styles whose basics may take much longer to get down. He touches on, but does not really examine the difference in approach between styles which f